


Back to Normal

by Burgie



Series: CatherinexJustin AU [2]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M, First Date, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 17:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16288883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Justin and Catherine go for a ride in an attempt to get back to normal. Catherine belongs to ssocatherine on tumblr.





	Back to Normal

When Catherine opened her eyes, she honestly thought that the day before had been a dream. Just a wonderful, wonderful dream where she’d brought Justin home from Dark Core, rescuing him from the clutches of darkness. Summermist, her wonderful mare, the one who’d been intended for Justin once long ago, had even sprouted wings, leaping off of the oil platform to rescue her past owner and the current owner of Catherine’s heart.

But then, just as Catherine was thinking about what a wonderful dream that had been and preparing for a day without Justin, she heard something that made her freeze. That was his voice outside.

“... think you’re up to it,” the louder voice, Thomas’ voice, rumbled. And then, Justin’s voice again, making Catherine’s heart flip.

“I’m fine, dad, really,” Justin replied, sounding like he was lying to himself. Catherine could still hear the sheer exhaustion in his voice. Her heart ached for him. He’d been through so much, too much. Catherine wasn’t even sure if he’d slept last night.

Quietly, Catherine got changed into her everyday clothes, pulling her boots on last while she listened to Thomas trying to convince his son to take a break, rest, relax, don’t just jump back into things.

They were still arguing, though they kept their voices low, when Catherine emerged from her room in the Moorland Inn. She’d been staying here for so long now that she should really consider just buying a place, but you never knew what the future held here. That was what she’d discovered, anyway.

At once, upon hearing the door open, the two men fell silent, both of them looking in Catherine’s direction.

“Catherine! Good morning,” said Justin, smiling at her. It sent butterflies through her tummy every time, Catherine’s smile growing as she looked at Justin.

“Morning, Justin,” said Catherine. “Morning, Thomas.”

“It is a most pleasant morning,” said Thomas, nodding to her. “However, it’d be a bit better if my son here would listen to me and just enjoy it.”

“Dad,” Justin grumbled, rolling his eyes. Catherine smiled gently at him.

“It won’t hurt to take the day off,” said Catherine. “After all, you just got home. Take a break, take a load off.”

“But I’ve missed out on months of work!” said Justin, throwing his hands up and raking them through his black hair. It was a lot less greasy, now, Catherine guessed that he must have showered last night. That was good. His skin also looked less oily, and he’d changed into a white t-shirt instead of the black one that he’d been wearing. Catherine finally managed to tear her eyes away from him, however, focusing on the task at hand.

“And it’s okay to want to get back into things,” said Catherine. “It’s normal, even, after everything you’ve been through. Everyone wants that sense of normalcy.”

“Exactly!” said Justin, nodding emphatically. “Getting back into things will be good for me.”

“Yes, it will,” said Catherine, nodding, “after you’ve rested up a little. Get used to life back on land, back on the back of a horse.”

“Well, I don’t know where Saga is,” said Justin, referring to his lovely dapple grey mare. She’d been Summermist’s replacement, though nobody saw her as that. She was just the right horse for Justin, just like Summermist was the right horse for Catherine.

“That’s okay,” said Catherine. “You can borrow one of my horses.”

“Are you sure?” asked Justin, frowning and rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t want to be a burden…”

“Of course!” said Catherine, hoping that she didn’t sound too enthusiastic. Even if the thought of going for a ride with her crush did make her heart do backflips of joy in her chest. “And don’t worry, you’re not being a burden. I want to go on a trail ride with you, it’ll be so good to see everything. I’m sure you must have missed Jorvik, while you were away.”

“I did,” said Justin, looking down at his feet. He looked back up at her. “I missed it so much.”

“I thought you would,” said Catherine, nodding. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my horses and you can pick out the one you want, does that sound okay?”

“Yeah,” said Justin. He grinned. “This is just like when I introduced you to Summermist, isn’t it?”

“Well, I might not have the same gift as you when it comes to matching the right horse with the right person, but I can certainly try,” said Catherine. She could feel herself blushing as she walked out of the inn’s courtyard, heading over towards the stable.

Catherine opened the stable doors, greeting everyone as she walked inside and receiving friendly nickers of greeting in return, along with a few whinnies and tossing heads. Catherine giggled, greeting each horse in turn with a pet on the nose. Justin followed, also giving the horses some affection. He looked a little uncertain at first, possibly unsure of how to act around horses after so long out on that oil rig, but he got more confident as they went down the line of horses.

“So, did any of them in particular stand out to you?” Catherine asked, turning to face Justin after introducing him to the last horse, Silverbelle, a dapple grey Jorvik Pony.

“Well… I haven’t exactly been riding for a while,” said Justin. “I think they were going to bring Saga over, but… I don’t know where she is.” For a moment, Catherine wanted to suggest they go and retrieve Saga, remembering seeing her with that witch Pi. But then, she reconsidered. Justin had been through enough, she didn’t want to take him to a spooky swamp. Not yet, anyway. That hardly counted as ‘normal’.

“So you’ll need a calm horse, then,” said Catherine. “Well, if you promise to go easy on him, I think Royal Blood will be a good mount for you. He’s very calm, he’s just been badly injured in the past so he can’t do anything that isn’t light riding.”

“Oh,” said Justin, his eyes wide as he looked at her. “What happened?”

“He was a race horse,” said Catherine, leading Justin over to the dapple grey English Thoroughbred gelding. “But by the end of his very long career, he’d bowed both his front tendons so he had to be retired.”

“Oh,” said Justin, reaching up to pet Royal Blood’s nose. “You poor thing…” Catherine’s heart ached for him as she watched the pair, listening to Justin coo sweet nothings and assurances to the horse.

“I’ve been taking in a lot of horses since you left,” said Catherine, smiling. “Not that the residents of Jorvik haven’t been keeping me busy, because they have been. They’ve been keeping me so busy.” She laughed, and Justin smiled at her.

“You’re so generous, Catherine, and kind,” said Justin. “It’s one of your best qualities.”

“Thanks,” said Catherine, Justin’s praise making her heart skip a beat. “I’ll just get Summermist and some tack for Royal Blood and we’ll head out. Was there anywhere in particular that you wanted to go?”

“I dunno, honestly,” said Justin, rubbing the back of his head as he followed Catherine into the tack room. “Maybe we could just go for a trail ride through Silverglade or up into Firgrove?”

“Yeah, sure, we can do that,” said Catherine, nodding. The terrain in Mistfall might be a little steep and tricky for Royal Blood, after all, no matter how beautiful it was there. Besides, the Everwind Fields and Fields of Gold were perfect for a picnic lunch. “Maybe we could have lunch while we’re out?”

“Yeah,” said Justin, nodding. “That’s a great idea.” Catherine grinned, a spring in her step as she set about tacking up Summermist while Justin did the same with Royal Blood.

Outside the stable, Catherine bought one of the premade picnic baskets at the store, packing it carefully and then setting it just as carefully on Summermist’s back. This was just like performing errands for the people of Jorvik, only the end result might be so much more exciting than just some money. Her heart fluttered as she thought about how this ride might end- maybe even with a kiss, if she was lucky.

Fortunately, Justin didn’t seem to notice her blushing as they left the stable, focusing instead on ensuring that Royal Blood was comfortable. Catherine was very glad that he had such a gentle temperament, seeing how nervous Justin looked. He looked almost as nervous as some of the newbie riders she’d seen around here.

As they rode, Catherine smiled as she watched Justin admire the scenery. After so long out on that dark, cold, rainy oil rig, devoid of any birdsong save for that of gulls, Catherine supposed that Justin’s current surroundings were a breath of fresh air. That and having a horse beneath him for the first time since… well, probably since he’d left the island, honestly.

“I’m surprised I even still know how to ride,” said Justin after a while, as though reading Catherine’s thoughts. “It’s been so long, but… it’s all coming back to me.”

“That’s good!” said Catherine, beaming at him. “Just remember to go easy on Royal Blood. Nothing above maybe a light trot.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Justin, giving her a mock salute. Catherine giggled.

The two of them took the gentle slope up past Conrad’s, pointedly ignoring the ugly GED building site that Catherine had helped shut down so long ago. True, it was how she’d met Justin, but it was still a rather unpleasant memory. Hardly the best first impression of Moorland, but Justin had made up for that. More than made up for that. 

Justin suddenly turned to look at her and she blushed, caught staring at him. He said something, but her heart in her ears drowned out what he’d said.

“Sorry, what?” Catherine blurted, embarrassment flooding her. Justin chuckled, not unkindly.

“I was just saying that I hope GED hasn’t been causing too much trouble while I’ve been gone,” said Justin. “Though, I’m sure that you’ve stopped them, whatever they’ve been doing.”

“Heh, well, they’ve done a lot of things,” said Catherine. “But I have actually managed to at least temporarily stop them. Are you sure this is what you want to talk about, though?” He’d just gotten home, was GED really the first thing he wanted to talk about?

“It’s just been on my mind a lot lately,” said Justin. He sobered for a moment, his face turning serious. “When I was… there, that was how they brainwashed me. They said that if I worked with them, we’d take down GED. Which I guess they will, only…” He trailed off, his face grim. Catherine stared at him sadly, just wanting to take him in her arms and hug him and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

“That makes sense,” said Catherine. “I’ll tell you the short version, though.”

“Thanks,” said Justin, looking at her almost eagerly.

And so, as they rode, Catherine told him watered-down versions of what GED was doing. How they’d vandalised the riding hall, hidden toxic waste in Firgrove, drilled in the Everwind Fields, tried to drain Mistfall’s beautiful lake.

“You’re a real hero,” said Justin, such warmth in his eyes as he looked at her that Catherine couldn’t help but blush. “You saved Jorvik, you’ve saved horses, you saved me…”

“I’m only doing what anyone would do,” said Catherine, looking down at her hands. Justin shook his head, breathing a chuckle as he looked up at the sky.

“Spoken like a true hero,” said Justin. “I’m so glad you came to Jorvik.”

“Me too,” said Catherine, smiling at him. They continued on along the road, passing the beautiful fields, all ready for the harvest, and several other riders who were on their way to only they knew where, leaving the two trail riders in their dust as they breezed past.

“I’ve missed this,” said Justin, sighing happily as they passed a group roleplaying in Steve’s paddock. At least there was no bickering there, not that Catherine could hear, anyway.

“I would too, if I went away for a while,” said Catherine. “It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back,” said Justin. They shared a smile before continuing on down the road, veering towards Landon’s sheep and rabbit fields. There was a beautiful picnic spot closer to the winery, of course, but that also boasted the less-lovely sight of the oil fields.

Catherine located the perfect picnic spot, in an area that was neither too sunny nor too shaded, close to the edge of the Hollow Woods. She dismounted, taking the picnic basket from Summermist’s back and carefully laying out the checkered picnic blanket.

“Want me to help with that?” Justin asked, looking inside the picnic basket.

“Sure, if you don’t mind,” said Catherine, smiling at him. She lifted out a piece of watermelon, wrapped in climgfilm so that it wouldn’t dry out or make a mess, and set it down on the picnic blanket.

“Hey, I’m hungry too,” said Justin with a chuckle. Catherine laughed as Justin picked up a box of cookies. “Oh, Star Cookies, I loved these as a kid!”

“Don’t spoil your appetite for lunch,” Catherine chided as Justin opened the box and the packet within.

“Try one,” said Justin, offering a cookie to her after shoving one in his mouth.

“Alright, fine,” said Catherine, taking the proffered cookie. “But if this spoils my appetite, I’m blaming you.”

“I take full responsibility,” said Justin. Catherine laughed at him before taking a bite of the cookie, surprised at the taste. It was so sweet, but not overly so.

“Oh wow, that is nice,” said Catherine, quickly eating it and then taking another. Justin grinned, delighted.

“I thought you’d like it,” said Justin. “But hey, don’t go spoiling your appetite for lunch now.” Catherine laughed at having her words used against her.

“Alright, fine,” said Catherine, taking the cookie box and putting it a safe distance away while she fetched the sandwiches. “Let’s eat, I’m starving.”

“I think they are too,” said Justin, looking at their grazing horses with a chuckle. Catherine giggled too, especially when Justin’s stomach growled.

They ate their sandwiches in peace, munching as they enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere. Catherine wondered if this was a date. She wanted it to be a date, but she didn’t dare ask. What if it made things awkward?

“And what about you?” Justin asked once they’d finished eating, putting his crumpled-up sandwich paper back in the basket. “What have you been doing, outside of the jobs that everyone in Jorvik wants you to do?”

“You really want to know about me?” Catherine asked, her cheeks flaming. 

“Yeah,” said Justin, nodding. Catherine felt warm all over as she told Justin about her adventures, hanging out with friends and the various seasonal events that Justin had missed out on. But now, he’d be able to go to them next time they were on. The thought made her smile.

“Midsummer is fun,” said Catherine. “You should come with me next time, we can dance like little frogs.”

“That Christmas Village sounds really fun too,” said Justin. “We can ice skate on the frozen ponds.”

“Yeah, that would be great!” said Catherine, grinning. “We can make it a date.” The words were out before she even noticed she was saying them, leaving her blushing with her mouth hanging open.

“I’d like that a lot,” said Justin. “Hopefully there are more dates in between now and then, though. Though, for a first date, this was pretty good.”

“This was a date?” Catherine all but squealed, grabbing her hair. “Oh no, and I didn’t even dress really nice or put on makeup or-“

“You don’t need to,” said Justin, taking her sweaty hand in his larger one. Catherine felt like she was on the verge of hyperventilating. “It’s okay, Catherine, it’s a trail ride, you don’t need to dress up really nice or make yourself look like a doll. You’re pretty just the way you are.”

“R-really?” Catherine asked. Justin chuckled, and it was so good to see him laughing and smiling again. 

“Yeah,” said Justin. “But don’t worry, if you’re that concerned about looking the part, I’ll let you know next time we’re going on a date.”

“Maybe let me know a few days in advance?” Catherine asked, hoping she wasn’t being too forward. “I like to make outfits.”

“Of course,” said Justin, giving her a warm smile. “Now, we’ve eaten lunch, let’s finally get to those cookies.” 

Catherine laughed, grabbing the box again and placing it between them. They shared their cookies, Catherine smiling around the crumbs and giggling every time their hands touched inside the box. She was very glad, now, that she’d suggested this trail ride- after all, it had led to her first date with Justin.


End file.
